by D. Cupples | Yesterday's Los Angeles Times reported:
"Sen. Barack Obama continued accepting donations from oil company executives and employees last month even as he aired ads in which he stated he took no oil company money, his campaign finance reports show.
"Obama has taken at least $263,000 from oil company executives, family members and employees since entering the presidential race last year, including $46,000 last month. At least $140,000 has come in chunks of between $1,000 and $2,300, the maximum permitted under federal law...."
"Other oil industry donors have included Sinclair Oil President Ross Matthews of Texas and John B. Hess, chairman of Hess Corp., a New York-based oil producer and retailer with operations worldwide. Hess, who has given to other presidential candidates, including Sen. John McCain, gave $2,300 to Obama last year, as did his wife, Susan. Hess gave $14,000 to Obama's Senate run in 2003. The oil executives did not return phone calls." (LA Times)
The issue isn't whether Sen. Obama took more or less oil-connected money than Sen. McCain or Sen. Clinton. The issue is that Obama has taken such money while claiming to not be taking it.
Once again, no federal candidate can legally take money from any corporation: instead, candidates do it by taking from executives, employees and PACs.
One of the fundamental planks in Sen. Obama's platform is that he has not taken lobbyists' or PAC's money -- the implication being that he is not beholden to special interests (while other candidates are).
Actually, Obama raised more than $1 million from PACs just before his presidential bid -- money that helped Obama launch his presidential campaign.
Just last week, USA Today ran an expose on Obama's other ties to lobbyists, which gives a laundry list of evidence that Sen. Obama's campaign is tainted by special interest money. The list includes but is not limited to the following:
- "Obama holds fundraisers at law firms that lobby in Washington. Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor confirmed the campaign held five fundraisers at New York and Boston offices of three firms that lobby, including Greenberg Traurig [the same firm that lobbyist-turned-prison-inmate Jack Abramoff had worked for]....
- "Obama counts lobbyists among his informal advisers, including Broderick Johnson, who heads the Washington lobbying practice of Bryan Cave, which represents Shell Oil, records show. Nine campaign staffers have been lobbyists, public records show....
- "Obama accepts money from spouses of federal lobbyists. In December, the campaign returned a $250 contribution from lobbyist Thomas Jensen of Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, but a few days later, it cashed a $500 check from his wife, Sarah, records show....
- "Obama is raising more than his opponents from executives of some of the corporate interests he criticizes. Obama has received more money from people who work at pharmaceutical and health product companies, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. He's taken in $528,765 through February, compared with $506,001 for Clinton and $139,400 for McCain, despite saying last July that 'I don't take pharma money.'" (USA Today)
Recently, Newhouse News Services reported:
"State lobbyists and non-wage-earning spouses of lobbyists and lobbying firm employees have contributed $115,163 to Obama's campaign through March 20, according to the center.
"People in the oil and gas industries have given $222,309 to Obama. He received $528,765 from the pharmaceutical and health industry, making him the largest recipient of the sector's largesse."
Some Obama supporters argue that taking from employees and spouses is not the same as taking from actual lobbyists or PACs. They're right: it's not the exact-same thing.
However, the reason lobbyists and special interests pour money into a campaign is to earn access to and gratitude from a political candidate once he gets into office. Certainly, when spouses and employees give money, politicians ultimately know whom to thank.
Related BN-Politics Posts:
* Signs of Bush Tactics & Hypocrisy in Another Obama Email
* Not Technically Fibbing: More on Obama's Campaign Finances
* Obama's Questionable Claims of Independence
* Obama Took Credit for Others' Legislative Work, Media Ignored it
* The Audacity of ... Hypocrisy?
.
Comments